New Delhi: RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale backing dialogue and sporting ties with Pakistan drew sharp Opposition criticism Wednesday, with the Congress linking it with his US trip, and asking if the “government or its extended instrumentalities” are being egged on by a hyperpower “beholden” Islamabad.
In an interview with the Press Trust of India on Tuesday, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh general secretary said India should keep channels of communication open with Pakistan without compromising on its “security and self-respect”, while emphasising the need for continued “dialogue”.
Slamming Hosabale for his remarks, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X, “It appears that the recent US trip of Shri Hosabale, during which one of his colleagues admitted to the PM doing what the US wanted him to do, has impacted him as well as the RSS”.
He said if someone in the Opposition would have made a similar remark, the reaction from the ruling party would have been very different.
“Just imagine how the bhakt brigade would have frothed, fumed and fulminated if…,” Ramesh added, leaving the remark open-ended.
Hosabale was in the US last month as part of the RSS’ international outreach during its centenary year, with the Sangh seeking to engage policymakers, academics and the Indian diaspora on its ideological and civilisational worldview.
In his interview to the news agency 12 May, Hosabale said, “We should not close the doors. We should always be ready to engage in dialogue (with Pakistan). That is why diplomatic relations are maintained, trade and commerce continue, and visas are being given. So we should not stop these, because there should always be a window for dialogue.”
It appears that the recent US trip of Shri Hosabale,during which one of his colleagues admitted to the PM doing what the US wanted him to do, has impacted him as well as the RSS. Just imagine how the bhakt brigade including the various TV channels would have frothed, fumed and… https://t.co/YDf1Z5OHjs
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 13, 2026
In addition, he said India needs to answer with “self respect and security if incidents like Phulwala are recreated”.
“If Pakistan is like a pinprick trying to create incidents like Pulwama, etc., we have to answer appropriately according to the situation because the security and self-respect of a country and nation have to be protected, and the government of the day should take note of it and take care of it. But at the same time” he added.
When asked if sporting events should continue, Hosabale said, “Of course, they can continue…”
‘External pressure’
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari questioned what changed between the Pahalgam attack and now to warrant calls for dialogue, and wondered whether the Sangh was being nudged by a “hyper power” that is today “beholden” to Pakistan “for all the wrong reasons.”
Tewari told the PTI, “ What has materially changed between the Baisaran massacre on 22nd of April, 2025 and the 12th of May, 2026, when the gentleman in question ostensibly gave this interview?”
“Has Pakistan given any concrete assurances that it will adhere to the commitments that were given earlier by their respective prime ministers and military dictators, that Pakistan will eschew the use of terror as an instrument of state policy?”
“I see no such commitment reported anywhere in any section of the press or commented upon by any strategist expert of consequence. Is the government or its extended instrumentalities being egged on by a hyperpower, which is now beholden to Pakistan for all the wrong reasons, to start engaging with them? Therefore, is there an externality in terms of pressure?” he added.
The Narendra Modi-led government has maintained that talks and terror cannot go together, and has linked any meaningful engagement with Islamabad to credible action against cross-border terrorism.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)